Bills need to try different defensive end from the start

By Anthony Bialy  |   Tuesday, November 04, 2008  |  Comments( 117 )

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Injured Buffalo Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel hasn’t been supplanted in the lineup: It’s more like someone has filled his physical space, and if this team wants better results while he’s out it's going to have to try something unconventional. That’s especially true when you consider it now looks as if he won’t soon begin another run of consecutive starts.

With reports emerging that Schobel could be out for a while longer with an injury more serious than first believed, the Bills have to gamble on using someone new in his spot. The Bills will miss him enormously for as long as he’s booted no matter what, but the upside is whatever they try won’t make things much worse than they’ve been in his absence.

That’s because Schobel substitute Ryan Denney was noticeable against the New York Jets in the worst way, namely in how he kept making his way into the corner of the cameraman’s view. Buying reverses, letting running backs speed by, and generally engaging in unproductive behavior is how the BYU product spent most of his game, and it’s not chance that the Bills have suddenly forgotten how to get to the quarterback.

No one should be surprised, as a player who has been fair over his career lined up on his left simply can’t compete lined up against a left tackle. Denney is not only too tall but too upright to be effective as a primary attacker, something everyone’s known since approximately 2002.

There’s statistical proof of that fact: The Bills didn’t get a sack last week, and it’s not as if they spent the entire afternoon pursuing a running back taking snaps from the contagious "Wildcat" formation. Brett Favre had been brought down 16 times in his first seven games as a Jet, and now he’s been brought down 16 times in his first eight games. He did face pressure on his interception, but other than that he had time to sling his gun/riverboat gamble/pull off all his other annoying yet effective deeds.

While the Bills should absolutely be looking to try someone new at right end, the options to replace the replacement are seemingly few. For one, rookie Chris Ellis isn’t contributing yet and was in fact active for only the third time this past week. On the other side, usual Denney rotational partner Chris Kelsay tackled a single Jet on Sunday, so he’s suffering without Schobel around to distract, too.

If Schobel is out for multiple Sundays, the best option at end would be a tackle. Specifically, Spencer Johnson ought to step into the job. The 6-foot-3, 286-pounder is small for an interior man even by the Bills’ smallish average dimensions, but that means he could alternately serve as a big bookend.

Johnson will offer more sturdiness in run support than Denney, and he’ll be more physical rushing the passer from the end, a novel offering in itself which would certainly work better than the alleged speed attack the temporary starter has provided.

Preparing Johnson to play on the outside will help this team cope if Schobel misses even more extensive time. It’s unsurprising that defensive end production has plummeted with the franchise’s best pass rusher this decade not playing, but it’s time to try a new solution instead of merely hoping this defense can just limp by while Schobel limps on the sidelines.
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CommentsComments: 117  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
ddd		09:28 AM
11/04/2008
My off-season recommendations to upgrade the team in order of priority: 1. Find a center. Our O-line is costing us games. We ...
No.2
Nate		09:37 AM
11/04/2008
I don't think its fair to single out Ryan Denny for the Bills defensive lines lackluster performance. No one on that line is ...
No.3
Kegman		09:38 AM
11/04/2008
Couldn't agree more. Everyone knows our D-line is too small and has been that way for far too long. Put small and fast vs big and ...
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